1. Why is Florida Ranked 3rd Nationally for
Human Trafficking Cases?
Background:
Definition: “Human Trafficking is a form
of modern-day slavery in which
traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion
to control victims for the purpose of
engaging in commercial sex acts or labor
services against his/her will”.
Florida is ranked third, behind Texas
being number two and California being
number one for human trafficking cases.
My thesis states that, Florida is ranked
third national for human trafficking cases
as a result of its geographical location,
social vulnerability, and economic
avarice.
Geographical
Location:
According to the U.S. Census bureau
Trade Data, Florida’s agricultural
exports have “…set another record in
2014 with total agricultural exports of
$4 million dollars, up 0.9% from 2013”.
There are many incidents where people
are exhausted of their human rights and
are coerced to meet the demands of
forced labor or experience sexual
assault.
Organizations demanding living wages
and proper labor conditions include:
- The Coalition of Immokalee (CIW)
- Fair Food Campaign
- Justice for Farm Workers Organization
or YAYA
The Miami International Airport is
ranked as one of the top entry points
in the U.S. for victims because of the
close proximity to the Caribbean and
Latin America.
The Code Kristi Program started in
Miami as a way to train airport
employees on how to:
- Recognize possible victims
- Recognize perpetrators
- Report any suspicion to the authority
Social Vulnerability:
Even though this industry doesn’t
discriminate against gender, age, or
ethnicity there are certain people
more readily available for
exploitation: immigrants and
minors.
Florida ranks third for the number of
immigrants living within its borders.
“Immigration policies that keep
immigrants isolated and in fear of
reporting abuses, a guest worker
program with a drastic lack of
oversight, and the need for cheap
labor are all factors that foster an
environment where slavery can exist”.
DMST
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking is the
exploitation of a children under the
age 18. Minors may be coerced into
sexual acts in places like: massage
parlors, phone sex services,
prostitution, and exotic dancing.
These situations are often convoluted
because the pimps create a sense of
dependency between the victim and
trafficker.
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking victims are
highly under-reported and under-identified
in Florida today.
Economic Avarice:
Nationally human trafficking is the second
largest organized crime, which accumulates
$150.2 billion dollars a year.
“Florida’s large tourist population,
numerous hotels and resorts and extensive
production have made it a magnet for the
labor traffickers engaged in that greed”.
In large metropolitan areas like, Miami and
Fort Lauderdale, are know for tourists and
locals interested in purchasing and selling
children in the sex trade.
“Generating huge profits for their
exploiters, sex slaves form the backbone of
one of the world’s most profitable illicit
enterprises, for unlike narcotics, which
must be grown, harvested, refined, and
packaged, the female body requires no such
“processing” and can easily be repeatedly
consumed”.
Conclusion:
Modern-day slavery continues because
there is a high demand and low risks
involved.
“Factors that add to low risk include:
lack of government and law
enforcement training, low community
awareness, ineffective or unused laws,
lack of law enforcement investigation,
scarce resources for victim recovery
services, and social blaming of
victims”.
Florida cannot change its geographical
location, the people it attracts, or the
tourism economy but many
implications to control this tragedy
must happen.
Sources:
Guzzo, Paul. “How the System Enables Labor Trafficking.” Freedom Magazine, 23 July
2014. Web. 12
Oct. 2015.
“Human Trafficking.” National Resource Center. n.p. n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Kara, Siddarth. “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery.” New York: Columbia
University Press, c2009, 2009. Print. 29 Sept. 2015.
“Modern Day Slavery.” YAYA. National Farm Worker Ministry, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
“ILO Says Forced Labour Generates annual Profits of US$ 150 Billion.” Economics of
Forced Labour, 20 May 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Zabresky, Janelle. “Creating a Safe Harbor for Florida’s Children: An Overview of Florida’s
Legislative Evolution in Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking.” Florida State University Law Review
40.2 (2013): 415. Print. 29 Sept. 2015.
https://secure.enditmovement.com/learn
http://nfwm-yaya.org/2011/06/ciw-fair-food-campaign/
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/02/03/florida-human-trafficking
http://www.wpbt2.org/pressreleases/tooclosetohome.html
https://www.unf.edu/publicrelations/marketing_publications/UNF_Logo
s.aspx